We’ve chosen raspberries (since we remove strawberries while cleansing), and
added basil which is an unexpected twist to the topping. Our berry shortcake is free from processed sugar and traditional dairy, but still has all of the buttery, rich flavors we love about shortcake.

END OF SUMMER BERRY SHORTCAKE

Ingredients:

Shortcake:

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups gluten-free flour of choice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup ghee (or coconut oil, if cleansing)

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Raspberry Topping:

2 cups raspberries

3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

3 basil leaves

Whipped Topping:

2 cans full-fat coconut cream, kept in the refrigerator overnight

1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional: 2 teaspoons maple syrup or coconut palm nectar for added sweetness

Directions:

Step 1: For the best possible berry shortcake texture, we recommend taking the time to freeze your ghee or coconut oil before making your dough. You can simply measure out your oil, place in the freezer for 15 minutes, and remove right when you’re ready to use. 

Step 2: While oil freezes, make vegan “buttermilk.” Mix coconut milk (the full-fat, canned version will give you the richest flavor) with lemon juice and set aside for 10 minutes. 

Step 3: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients thoroughly. 

Step 4: Using a fork, or pastry cutter, crumble ghee or coconut oil into dry ingredients (it should crumble easily while cold). Your dough should have small crumbles of hard oil or ghee evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients.

Step 5: After lemon juice and coconut milk sit for 10 minutes, whisk in vanilla. Slowly add the milk mixture to dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. 

Step 6: Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough at a time, forming 1-inch thick discs. Place biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.

Step 7: While shortcake cooks, prepare the raspberry filling. Combine 1 cup raspberries with sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. gently stir and mash raspberries until liquid reduces and sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes, stirring regularly). Remove berries from heat, and fold in the remaining half of berries to hot berries.

Step 8: Remove coconut milk from the refrigerator. Scoop out the solid coconut cream from the top of the can (this forms when the can is kept cold). Discard the remaining liquid left on the bottom. Blend the cream with the vanilla and sweetener (if using).

Step 9: Once shortcake is slightly cooled, layer with berries and whipped topping. Serve the berry shortcake immediately!

Recipe and photography by Kaitlyn Noble

https://blog.cleanprogram.com/berry-shortcake/